An early morning fire killed a Kanawha County husband and wife in their Cross Lanes home at about 2 a.m. Thursday.
William and Elfriede Wade, both 85, died in the fire, according to a news release.
Investigators with the West Virginia State Fire Marshal's Office remained at the Wade Drive home throughout the morning.
Authorities still were unsure what caused the fire as of Thursday afternoon, according to the release. Investigators did not find any signs of a smoke detector in the home, and both William and Elfriede likely had difficulty walking.
Fires killed 23 people in West Virginia as of Thursday, which is an increase of four compared to the same time last year, Courtney Rosemond, a spokeswoman for the Fire Marshal's Office, wrote in an email.
"I can't comment on the cause of fire because a lot of them are undetermined but one similarity we are seeing is a lot of seniors are fire victims," she wrote.